Candy-coated chewing gums have long been a favorite among young and old alike. The candy coatings generally employed are sugar-based and thus are not used as coatings for sugarless gums. The sugar-based coatings may be applied to chewing gum employing procedures such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,554,767 to Daum et al, 2,304,246 to Ekert, 2,460,698 to Lindhe and 3,208,405 to Beer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,677 to Fronczkowski et al discloses a xylitol coated chewing gum containing from 95 to 99.5% xylitol which may be used as a coating for sugarless gums. However, for various reasons, xylitol containing chewing gums have not received satisfactory consumer acceptance.
Sorbitol, long used as a plasticizer and sweetener, has been suggested as a substitute for sugar in forming sugarless candy coatings for sugarless chewing gums. Unfortunately, however, it has been found that when sorbitol is applied in an aqueous coating solution to chewing gum centers, the sorbitol does not recrystallize to form a thin crystalline coat. Moreover, the chewing gum centers subjected to the sorbitol chewing step stick to one another forming undesirable clumps.
Accordingly, a need exists in the market place for a sugarless coating, preferably free of xylitol, based on the use of sorbitol.
Copending application Ser. No. 12,999, filed Feb. 21, 1979 discloses a method for forming a sugarless candy coating, preferably including crystalline sorbitol, on chewing gums, confections, and generally in the preparation of candy coated pills, tablets and other solid shapes, which method overcomes the problems associated with the application of sorbitol-containing coatings to produce a uniform sugarless coating, with good appearance, and flavor release and having bite-through and chew properties of a soft crystal. The technique employed for forming a sugarless coating on a solid shape to be coated (hereinafter referred to as centers) includes the steps of applying to the centers a first coating syrup which contains a sweetener such as sorbitol and/or other non-sugar sweetener, for example, mannitol or hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, an adhesion or binder component and a film-forming component, to thereby coat the centers with the first coating syrup, and then applying a dusting mix to the centers coated with the first coating syrup, the dusting mix including one or more sweeteners, such as employed in the first coating syrup, in powdered form, and a moisture absorbing component, such as mannitol, an anti-sticking component such as calcium carbonate and a dispersing agent such as titanium dioxide, and then preferably applying a second coating syrup to smooth out the coating of the centers and provide a shine thereto, which second coating syrup generally includes ingredients similar to that present in the dusting mix but dispersed in water.
The above technique has proved to be an excellent method, albeit, it usually requires two different types of coating syrups to produce the desired coating. Accordingly, a sugarless coating technique wherein only a single coating syrup is employed would be a tremendous advance over the afore-mentioned prior art as well as over the above-described copending application.